Schoolyard K-12

The PIE-LTER Schoolyard K-12 education program,The Salt Marsh Science Project, is done in conjunction with Mass Audubon and administered by Elizabeth Duff. The program is aimed at students in grades 5 through 12. There are currently 10 participating schools, most on the Massachusetts North Shore but some also in the Boston area. The key aspect of this program is to bring students into their own backyards and provide hands-on experience. Students work with their teachers and scientists to learn about salt marshes and the impact of the invasive common reed (Phragmites australis). Students collect their own data and compare their findings to those of previous classes and to regional data. Due to her enthusiasm for enlightening young, Liz Duff has been honored for her work, receiving two prestigious awards: the “Gulf of Maine Visionary Award” and the "Massachusetts Marine Educator of the Year Award". For more information on the education program, see The Salt Marsh Science Project.

Salt Marsh Science Is the invasive reed Phragmites spreading in our salt marshes?If yes, how fast is it spreading? What conditions is it growing in? Is it responding to restoration efforts? This curriculum for middle and high school students includes classroom activities, identification sheets and a dichotomous key for identifying salt marsh plants, and data sheets for salt marsh field trips utilizing lessons developed by Kristen Grant and the salt marsh science protocols developed by Dr. Robert Buchsbaum and Dr. David Burdick. Classroom teachers, Carmen Ochoa, Amanda Demetri, worked with Liz Duff to develop the "integrated unit" in 1999. We are pleased to offer you these tried and true methods for studying Phragmites, vegetation, fish and salinity in salt marshes. See Salt Marsh Science Curriculum for more details.

The Mass Audubon Invasive species program addresses a number of invasivespecies that are of concern in the Plum Island region including purple loosestrife and perennial pepperweed. Lessoning Loosestrife is a curriculum designed for elementary to high school level students. Its goal is to help educators teach about wetlands, invasive species, and about using beetles as a biological control for purple loosestrife. For teachers who want to become actively involved in removing pepperweed, The Perennial Pepperweed Handbook (PDF) includes mapping tools, instructions for acquiring permits and permissions, ways of treating this invasive, and outreach materials.

Striper Science is a set of lesson plans and resources for middle school and high school based on striped bass research conducted in Massachusetts and put together by our education coordinator Liz Duff. Resources include PowerPoint presentations, inquiry lessons based on databases, field studies, and online videos. We are proud to present these lesson plans and resources which are based on Massachusetts Science Curriculum Frameworks. See Striped Bass Curriculum for more details.

Inland Fish and Warming Waters are lessons that explore the impact of temperature on 4 species of inland fish. A warming climate will increase the water temperature and decrease oxygen levels. Participants will investigate water temperatures and dissolved oxygen levels in local water bodies and consider how to improve habitat for native cold water fish. The lesson includes a guided on-line inquiry using the US Geological Survey database. Developed by our education coordinator, Liz Duff, these lesson are linked to Next Generation Science Standards, as well as current and draft Massachusetts Science Curriculum Frameworks. See Inland Fish Curriculum for more details.

Raising Awareness About Rising Sea Levels is a lesson plan for grades 6 - 12 designed to investigate sea level changes and their impact in coastal areas. Students will conduct field studies using spotting levels and will discuss ways of reducing future sea level rise through individual and collective actions. See Sea Level Awareness for more info.

The Governor’s Academy Internships are awarded each year to 1-3 students from The Governor’s Academy, Newbury, MA. The program is designed to introduce interns to the importance of scientific study and allow them hands on experience in both field and lab work. They are mentored by both teachers from The Governor's Academy and PIE scientists. For the last two years, students have been working on a stiped bass population study with teacher John Pirie. Previous telemetry studies by PIE scientists identified the confluence of West Creek and the Rowley River as an area of interest to striped bass. To examine the questions of where and why striped bass are in the two rivers, students have been afforded the opportunity to head into the marsh and collect striped bass size and stomach content samples. Their sampling has produced viable data describing the average striped bass fish size and prey.

The Gulf of Maine Institute’s (GOMI) mission is “to touch, move and inspire young people, in partnership with adults, to lead in stewardship of the Gulf of Maine and its watershed”, an area stretching from Cape Cod to the southwestern tip of Nova Scotia. The program sponsors local teams and mentors. PIE Education Rep. Liz Duff has served as GOMI guide team member and theme leader since 2002, and serves as a community partner to Massachusetts teams. John Halloran directs the NBPT GOMI team at PIE which has focused on pepperweed removal, climate change, and water quality. In addition, with grant support from the Jessie B. Cox Charitable Foundation and the US EPA, GOMI has developed a model program for training professionals in place-based education. In partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Parker River National Refuge and the Newburyport Public Schools the model is being introduced at Nock Middle School and Newburyport High School. In 2011 and 2012 the GOMI summer institute was held in Newbury and PIE scientists participated in the training. For more information see GOMI web site.

The LTER Children’s book series is aimed at helping children and their families learn about both their local environment and other places though stories based upon LTER site research. Mostly aimed for children aged 6-10, they also include lesson plans for teachers. One of PIE's collaborating LTERs, the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, has published the book “And the tide comes in…” The book is about a young girl showing her cousin a Georgia salt marsh, but is very appropriate for any child interested in marshes anywhere. Scientists of PIE are currently working on producing a book about watersheds, following the tale of a young boy exploring the impacts due to the relationships between homeowners and their lawns. For more information on other LTER books, visit theLTER Children's Book Seriesweb site.

LTER Network | The Ecosystems Center | Marine Biological Lab | National Science FoundationSend site questions or comments to: pie_im [at] mbl [dot] eduThis material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreements #OCE-9726921, #OCE-0423565, #OCE-1058747, #OCE-1238212. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.